Lantern



Dec. 18 5923.

A. H. HANDLAN LANTERN Filed April 21 1922 jfazri w/t' /7 7 70/2670 a State of Missouri,

tern globe so as to prevent the egress currents erly ground on their bottom faces,

Patented fies. l8, i923.

barren srares lAWJSd LA TERN.

Application filed April 21, 1922. Serial Na -555,836.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER H. HAND- LAN, a citizen of the United States of America, a resident of the city-of St. Louis and have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lanterns, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of 10 this specification.

My invention relates to a lantern particularly adapted for the use of trainmen, and has for its object the production of an improved means for positively holding a lanof air between the globe and its seat.

Prior to this invention lanterns have been constructed with a seat for the base of the globe and an annular spring pressed globe holder engaging the upper portion of the globe. The spring pressed globe holder is adapted to slide within the dome, longitudinally thereof, and its function is to force the globe downwardly onto its seat, while at the same time centrally positioning the upper portion of the globe with respect to the dome. If the bottom face of the globe is properly and truly ground, no trouble is experienced with air currents entering the lantern between the globe and its bottom seat. In practice, however, itis found that man of the globes are not truly and propthis defect sometimes being so slight as to escape notice, and the defective lanterns are permitted to get into service when the difliculty of making the lantern operate properly is first detected. 7 I

In the giving of certain signals, it is imerative that the air entering the lantern shall be only from points of ingress definitely determined, in order that the flames may be sustained, thus permitting it to burn brightly. If during the giving of one of these signals a current of air be permitted to enter the lantern between the globe and its seat, the flame may be dimmed or quite probably completely extinguished. It is essential to avoid danger that the flame of the lantern be as nearly constant at all times as possible, and it is the object of the present invention to provide for an automatic adjustment, not only for properly ground globes, but for globes that are Slightly defective in grinding, so that every lantern embodying my invention will have its globe positively seated on its seat and the bottom face of said globe in contact at all points with the globe seat. I

Lanterns have been produced heretofore which have been provided with spring pressed globe holders similar to that used in the present invention, but said globe holders were connected to the domes of the lanterns in such manner as to prevent the ready attaching or detaching of same. The particular object of vide simple connecting means whereby the globe holders may be readily attached to and detached from the domes of the lanterns.

Fig. I is a side elevation of a lantern provided with my improved globe holder, parts I of said lantern being broken away.

Fig. II is an inverted plan of the dome of the lantern shown in Fig. I, showing the globe holder in place therein, part of said dome and part of the guard wire by which it is supportedbeing broken away.

Fig. III is a Vl6W of the globe holder and its associated spring, said globe holder beingz in section. V

ig. IV is an enlarged section on line IV-IV of Fig. I. f

Fig. V is an enlarged plan view of a fragment of the globe holder showing the opening which receives the end of the attaching post. V

In the drawing, A designates a lantern comprising an oil pot holder 1 secured to a guard frame 2, and provided with a depressed flat seat 3 adapted to receive the flat bottom face of the globe 4. dome 5 is connected to the guard frame by means of a hinge 6. V

The dome 5 is provided with the usual spring latch butas this forms no part of the present invention I do not deem it necessary to illustrate same.

Located in the dome 5 of the lantern is a globe holder in the form of a presser member 7 said presser member being forced onto the top face of the globe by means of a coil spring 8. The presser member preferably comprises an annular plate formed with a peripheral, upwardly extending flange 7 and is provided with a flat face engaging the flat top face of the globe 4:. Said presser member is also provided with a diametrically arranged bar 9, the purpose of which will be subsequently pointed out. The coil spring 8, which forces the presser member tightly against the top face of the globe 4,

this invention is to pro ,member,

is interposed between the top of the dome 5 and said presser member, one extremity of said spring bearing against said dome top and the against that portion of said presser membe! within the upwardly extending flange 7. The dome 5 usual perforations 5 and the presser membenT-preferably has a circular row of air inlet openings or slots 7 .near :its outer ed e.

The means for. attachingthepresser mem- ,ber'.v7. to-the dome 5 of the lantern comprisreg et-post 10, which is securedto the top of "said dome in any suitable manner, such, for

tinstance,.as1by: riveting, and extends ldownwardly therefrom. 'The post 10 is circular ,in-crosssectionand is provided at apoint adjacent .tolits lower end with a winged portion comprising a pair of laterally extending lugs 11, which-may be :forme'diby displacing'amortion of. the metal of the post ,lof'to form Said lugs, asshown in thedrawing, or ;in any. other suitable manner.

Thediametrically,arranged-"bar 9 of the ,presser member,7 is, provided with an -open-' Qing 12 oo rresponding:tothe cross sectional .Shape ofthe w nged portion of the;post 10.

,In attaching the .pressermemher '7 to the dome 5 throughtlie agency of the post 10, t said.presser.me1nber is brought: tov a position wherethe portionsof theopening ,12 corresponding inshape to the lugsll are in registration with saidlugs, whereupon said presser member may be moved upwardly on .the post .10, that portion of said post provided withtheilugs-ll passing through said opening 12. After the presser member has been moved onto the post 10 in the manner described, the ,presser member is rotated to aposition wherei'theilugs 11 do not register with the. correspondingly shaped portion of the, lopening12, thus causing said lugs 11 to contact with the. solid portion of the bar 9 .wherebysaid presser member is-retained in place on saidpost 10.

.It will he understood that the p-resser arranged to slidevloosely on the post 10, ;will.be automatically adjusted by the spring to firmly engage thetop ,face of other extremity thereof bearing] maybe provided with the bottom face of the-globeyand that the "flat bottom face of. the globe will engage the flat seat 3, thereby insuring a tight joint all around the bottom facefofthe globelwhereby undesirable air currents are globe at its lower edge.

I claim 1. A lantern having a dome, a globe, a seat for the bottom face of said globe, a spring-actuated presser member comprising an, annular plate havinga face which engages the topface of said globe, a post extending downwardly from said dome on which said spring-actuated presser member is slidably mounted, said post being free'from supporting devices below said top wall of said lantern dome and being provided with integrally forme'dprojections adjacent to its lower end, said spring-actuated presser member being provided with an opening corresponding in shape to the cross sectional shape of said post at said projections, said spring-actuated presser memberbeingadapted to be passed over said portion of said postibearing said projections and rotated a portion of a revolution to lock said spring actuated presser member on said post.

2. A lantern having a globe, a seat for the said globe, a spring-actuated presser member comprising an annular plate having a face which engages the top face of said globe, an upwardly extending annular flange and a diametrically arranged bar, a

post on which said spring-actuated presser member is slidably mounted, said post being provided with integrally formed projections adjacent to its lower end, said diametrically arranged barof said spring connected presser member being provided with. an opening corresponding in shape to the cross sectional shape of said post at said projections, said spring-actuated presser member being adapted tobe-passed overisaid portion of said post bearing said projections androtated a portion of a revolution to lock said springactuated pressermember on said post.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto affix my signature. 7

ALEXANDER HANDLAN.

prevented from entering the J the top Wall of 

